Coupling for horse-railway cars



* B E. SAMPSON.

Tongue-Coupling for Horse-Cars.

Patented July 27, 1858.

llAk I L b NJ'ETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINQTQN; D G' UNIT ATS irich.

COUPLING FOR HORSE-RAILWAY CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 21,026, dated July 27,1858; Reissued February 2 1,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BLANEY E. SAMPSON, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Pole-Couplings for Horse Railway Carriages; and I herebydeclare that the nature of the improvement is fully set forth in thefollowing specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, to which the specification and letters refer.

My improvement consists in so applying or constructing the car pole,that it shall be sustained at the proper height to couple with the carhunter, and be self coupling at all horizontal angles of presentation,to which the pole may be liable. Also in so applying the pole that itsweight shall be sustained by the car, instead of bearing upon thehorses.

Figure 1, of the drawings denotes a side view of the pole, and thecarriage platform connected in my improved manner. Fig. 2, is a verticalcentral section, and Fig. 3, a top view of the same.

A, in the same denotes the platform, 13, the pole to which the horsesare attached, O, the hunter of the platform, D, the bolt, which fastensthe pole and hunter together. This hunter is composed of two horizontalplates, (1, Z), extending out from the platform D, and placed atsufficient, distance apart to allow of the insertion of the end of thepole B. A spring bearing E, is placed between the plates, just in rearof the bolt poles of the hunter, this hearing block being attached to aspring 0, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. This spring has a tendency to pushthe block front in such manner as to cause a projection f, from its top,to slide under the bolt hole in the upper hunter plate, preventing thebolt from dropping when the pole is withdrawn, as seen in section inFig. A. The block has a curved or semi-circular depression in front, tocorrespond with the end of the pole which abuts against it.

Vhen the pole is inserted into the hunter and pushed back, it will pressthe bearing block back, and allow the bolt pin to drop into the apertureat the pole. Now as the pole may not always be at right angleshorizontally to the platform when entering the hunter, I make thebearing plate with the semi-circular depression, so that whatever may bethe angle of the pole, the aperture thereof shall be brought under thebolt, when the pole is pressed back, as at such time the curve of thedepression is concentric to the aperture. As commonly made the hunterhas an elongated hole in front, (as seen at 05, in Fig. 4L) throughwhich the end of the pole enters, and the pole has (in coupling) to bebrought up at right angles to the end of the car, and be made with anextra joint piece, which swings horizontally on the end of the pole.This joint piece is constantly getting loose or broken, occasioning muchdifliculty in shackling, and allowing the pole to sag down. Thesedifficulties I overcome by making the pole in one undivided piece, andby applying or presenting its end between the two jaw plates of thehunter as described.

A guard usually extends down from the rear end of the pole, to keep thepole from contact with the ground when changing the horses from one tothe other end of the car.

Instead of extending this guard from the pole, I attach it to a brace G,as seen at v f. This brace is attached at one end to the pole by a boltor pin g, and extends down as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. A slot h, is madein its rear end, which receives a pin a, project-- ing from the upperside of a horizontal stationary plate 7:, which extends out fromunderneath the platform. Thisplate is intended to serve as a guide tothe end of the pole when shackling, it being placed at such distanceunder the platform that when the end of the brace is dropped on to theplate, the pole shall be at the proper height to enter the hunter.

The pin 2', is placed directly under the bolt pin, and when the slot h,straddles the pin 2', and the brace is pushed against it, it serves tokeep the pole horizontal while shackling. Another purpose in having thebrace slot, and pin, is to keep the pole horizontal when the car ismoving, so as to prevent the weight of the pole from hanging or bearingupon the horses, as it does where the pole is made with the joint. Alifter bar H, may. be attached to the pole to lift it into place.

In shackling the pole to the car, the end of the brace is dropped ontothe plate is, and pushed against the pin 2', when whatever may be theangle of presentation of the pole horizontally, by merely pressing thepole hack hard, the bolt pin drops into place.

When the bolt is withdrawn, the block springs forward and keeps the boltup.

I am aware that it is not new to make oars self shackling when broughttogether, railroad cars often having couplings so applied and I am alsoaware that common carriage poles are made without joints. I therefore donot claim making horse cars self shackling, nor making a pole to a horsecar in one piece.

, I/Vhat I do claim as my invention, is

1. The above described method of constructing and applying the pole sothat it shall be in position to shackle when brought against theplatform at any common angle of presentation.

2. I also claim as applying the pole, as described, that it shall besupported by the car instead of upon the horses, as is usually done.

In testimony whereof, I have hereto set my signature this fifth day ofSeptember, A. D. 1857.

BLANEY E. SAMPSON.

IVitnesses LEONARD M. FITCH, FRANCIS GOULD.

[Fms'r PRINTED 1911.]

